The purpose of this blog is to discuss and explore the mythical and metahistorical origins and development of the Aryan[Indo-European,Indo-Germanic] race and their metaphysical beliefs. This is a companion blog to Celto-Germanic Culture, Myth and History and Die Armanenschaft der Ario-Germanen blogs.

Lascaux cave art

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Agharti-Asgard, Shambhala-Valhalla and Vril

Wulf Ingesunnu writing in the Summer Sunwend 2016 edition of Spear of Woden discussed certain aspects of the myth of Shambhalla (Rudra-Chakrin-'The Wheel Turner'). Wulf compared Shamb-halla to Val-halla and referred to Tibetan myths of Shambhalla warriors reincarnating in order to fight the 'Last Battle', not unlike the Germanic Einheriar.

There are other aspects to this myth and comparisons which I would like to draw to my readers' attention. Closely linked to the myth of Shambhala is the myth of Agharti, a subterranean kingdom linked to various distant places of the earth via a network of underground tunnels. The inhabitants of this kingdom are said to be 'peace-loving' and have resided there since the 'dawn of time'. This concept is not confined to the Tibetans but exists in many world cultures.

"Among all races of mankind, back to the dawn of time, there existed a tradition concerning the existence of a Sacred Land or Terrestrial Paradise, where the highest ideals of humanity were living realities. This concept is found in the most ancient writings and traditions of the peoples of Europe, Asia Minor, China, India, Egypt and the Americas. This sacred land, it is said, can be known only to persons who are worthy, pure and innocent, but which reason it constitutes the central theme of the dreams of childhood." (Does Shangri-La Exist?, Brazilian Theosophical Society's Journal, 1960, Professor Jose de Souza)

Professor de Souza makes reference to the Greek Mount Olympus, the Elysian Fields, the Vedic Ratnasanu (peak of the precious stone), Hermadri (mountain of gold), the Hindu Mount Meru, the Land of Amenti of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the City of the Seven Petals of Vishnu, the Garden of Eden in the Hebrew tradition, Shambhala, Edemi of the Tibetans and Mongols, the Persian Aryana, the Mexican Tula, the Aztec Maya-Pan, the Spanish conquerors of South America called it El Dorado, the Celtic 'Land of Mysteries', the Chinese 'Land of Chivin' (City of the Serpents), the Land of Calcas in the legend of Jason and the Argonauts, the Arthurian Isle of Avalon, the Asgard of the Germanic Gods, the Valhalla of the Germanic Einheriar and Mount Salvat of the Holy Grail.

It is significant that this concept exists not only in Aryan myth and legend but also in the mythologies and legends of the peoples that the Aryans conquered or interacted with. Much of what we find in ancient Chinese culture and mythology can be attributed to the Aryan Tocharians of the Tarim Basin. In the same way we find the presence of the Swastika amongst all Aryan peoples and in those lands where the Aryan set foot.

There are differences of opinion as to the relationship between Agharti and Shambhala. Some regard the two as separate and diametrically opposed entities, others claim that Agharti was simply the capital of Shambhala.

"While travelling in Central Asia in 1905, he (Karl Haushofer) said, he had heard of a vast underground encampment under the Himalayas where dwelt a race of Supermen. The name of this place was Agharti, and its capital was called Shamballah." (The LostWorld of Agharti. The Mystery of Vril Power, Alec Maclellan, 1982, 1996)

Mr Maclellan claims that Haushofer viewed Agharti as a "place of meditation, a hidden city of Goodness, a temple of non-participation in the things of the world." By contrast however Haushofer viewed Shambhala as a "city of violence and power whose forces command the elements and the masses of humanity, and hasten the arrival of the human race at the 'turning-point of time'." It would appear though that only Haushofer viewed Shambhala in this way. This concept of a 'turning-point of time' reminds me of Wulf's comment in his article that:

"Shamb-'to bear', related to the Sacred Centre or Immovable Centre, the Axle of the Wheel. The word is also related to the Finnish Sampo which is in turn the World Mill."

There is an idea of turning, twisting and spiralling here.

This cotrast between Shambhala and Agharti can also be found in Jean-Claude Frere's Nazisme etsocietes secretes (1974):

"the sons of the Outer Intelligencies are said to have split into two groups, one following the 'Right-hand Path' under the 'Wheel of the Golden Sun', the other the 'Left-hand Path', under the 'Wheel of the Black Sun'. The first group preserved the center of Agartha, that undefined place of contemplation, of the Good, and of the Vril force. The second supposedly created a new place of initiation at Shambhala, the city of violence in command of the elements and of human masses, hastening the arrival of the 'charnel-house of time.' (Arktos. The Polar Myth in Science, Symbolism, and NaziSurvival, 1996, Joscelyn Godwin)

"He (Haushofer) clothed geography in a veil of racial mysticism, providing a reason for the Germans to return to those areas in the hinterland of Asia from which it was believed the Aryan race originated."

The concept of an underworld kingdom wherein dwelled an advanced race of beings made its most notable appearance in the remarkable fictional work The Coming Race (1871), later reprinted as Vril, the Power of the Coming Race by Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The work was originally published anonymously. My speculation is that Bulwer Lytton was probably a Rosicrucian adept who revealed occultic secrets but sought to avoid being openly associated with this due to repercussions from the Order to which he belonged. Some scholars claim that there is no historical evidence to support the claim that he was a Rosicrucian but it is interesting to note that the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia appointed him as its Grand Patron in 1870-a year before the initial publication of the book! This was not the first time he wrote about the force of Vril as in his earlier novels Zanoni (1842) and in A Strange Story (1862) he referred to electricity and other magnetic forces but did not use the term Vril. These ideas were taken up by German-Russian aristocrat Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), the founder of Theosophy who had a great influence upon the later writings of Guido von List and the foundation of Ariosophy. Blavatsky discusses Vril in her most important writings, Isis Unveiled (1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1888). It is my intention to make a complete study of Madame Blavatsky's writings in the near future. As an aside Bulwer-Lytton wrote Rienzi, Last of the Roman Tribunes (1835) which was the basis for Richard Wilhelm Wagner's Rienzi, der Letzen der Tribunen in 1842, the composers 3rd completed music drama.

Bulwer-Lytton makes it clear in his book that the underground race of supermen, the Vril-ya are an advanced offshoot of the Aryan race:

"The philologist will have seen
from the above how much the language of the Vril-ya is akin to the Aryan or Indo-Germanic.........."(Chapter XXII, Vril, the Power of the ComingRace)

He also describes them as having:

"descended
from the same ancestors as the great Aryan family, from which in varied
streams has flowed the dominant civilisation of the world........"(Chapter XXVI)

Wulf compares Shambhalla with Valhalla in his article. I think we can also draw a parallel between Agharti and Asgard. Mr Maclellan points out:

"I should perhaps just point out that this word Agharti can be found variously spelled as Asgartha, Agartha or Agarthi,...."

It is my contention that Shambhala or Valhalla is a place of action, of divine heroic intervention in the affairs of the earthly plain, Midgard but by contrast Agharti or Asgard is a divine realm of peace, tranquility and higher consciousness which like a sacred centre is immoveable and does not directly interfere in the activities of Midgard. However it is possible for divine beings to travel between these three realms and likewise such travel is possible for the God-man, the Einheriar and those adepts who have attained higher states of consciousness but we must not confuse the purpose of these two realms. Valhalla is concerned with activity, preparation whilst Asgard is concerned with being, with non-interference. This is a subject which I hope to develop in future articles.

1 comment:

Valhalla can only be reached through noble deed - it is Evola's 'Solar Path', or the Left Hand Path. Reading your excellent theory it strikes me that preservation of the ego demands constant action (assertion of will). The moment we cease to assert our will upon the world(s), our ego goes to sleep and we surrender ourself to 'the one'. Referencing the ideas in this article, this would seem to be the case both in this life and whatever follows; in all realms we have the choice to assert our will, or to not. Those of us who do are following the Left Hand Path of the Black Sun and shall remain individuals for as long as we choose this.